Catering FAQ

You fill in one quote request with your date, city, guest count, service style and any dietary needs. We send it to up to 5 caterers whose service area, guest range and service style fit the event, and they reply to you directly by email. You can also ask for sealed bids: up to 8 matching caterers can send a price, and you compare them side by side when bidding closes. You can also message any single caterer from its listing page.

No. Requesting quotes is free and there is no obligation to book. You agree terms and pay the caterer directly; TopCaterers is not a party to that agreement.

As soon as you have a date, a venue and a rough headcount. Popular dates (weekend evenings, graduation season, December) go first, and weddings and large staffed events need more lead time than a drop-off lunch. Where a caterer has published a minimum lead time, it is on their listing; otherwise ask when you request a quote.

Most caterers ask for a deposit to hold your date, with the balance due before the event. The amount, the due dates and whether any of it is refundable vary by caterer, so get them in writing before you pay, along with the cancellation terms and the deadline for your final guest count.

Quote on your best estimate, then confirm a final number by the caterer’s deadline; that is usually the number you are charged for, even if fewer people come. Count confirmed guests rather than invitations, and remember children, vendors who need a meal and late plus-ones. See planning your catering headcount and how much food per person.

Many can, but ask each one specifically. You can browse caterers that say they offer vegan, gluten-free, halal, kosher or allergen-friendly food; those tags come from the caterer’s own details, not from an inspection. Give exact counts, separate true allergies from preferences, and ask how they prevent cross-contact. More in catering for dietary restrictions.

Some caterers offer tastings, usually for weddings and larger events, and some charge for them or credit the cost against a booking. Ask before you sign, and treat a tasting as a check on food and communication, not a free meal.

Drop-off means the food is delivered ready to serve and the caterer leaves; you handle setup, serving and cleanup. Full service means the caterer brings staff to set up, serve and clear. Full service costs more because you are paying for labour and often rentals. See catering service styles explained.

Not necessarily. Some caterers’ service charge covers staff, admin or equipment and is not passed to the servers as a gratuity; others include gratuity or say tipping is not expected. Ask what the service charge covers and whether gratuity is included, and read the contract. If it is not included and the staff did a good job, a tip for the on-site team is a common courtesy.

By a quality score built from how complete and verifiable a listing is (contact details, description, photos, menus, pricing, guest limits, whether it is claimed and verified) and its reviews. Paid placement appears in a labelled slot and does not change anyone else’s score.

Check first whether you are already listed: many listings are compiled from public business records. If not, use Add your business. New submissions are reviewed before they go live, which keeps the directory free of spam.

Open your listing and choose “Claim this listing”, then sign in or create an account. We send a six-digit code by text or email to contact details already on the listing (its phone number or the business email we have on file), use the claim link in an invite email from us, or verify with an email on the same domain as the website on the listing. Codes are never sent to an address you type in, so nobody can take over someone else’s page. If none of those reach you, choose manual review, usually within one business day.

A claimed listing is managed by the business owner, who proved control through the claim process. “Verified by TopCaterers” is a separate mark our team adds after checking the business by hand. Both count towards a listing’s quality score.

Yes. The free listing has no time limit and needs no card. It includes your contact details, one service-area city, up to 5 photos and 1 published menu, unlimited matched quote requests by email, replies to reviews and the Listed on TopCaterers badge for your own site.

Pro ($49/month) and Business ($149/month) add more photos, menus and service-area cities, website and social links, and priority in quote matching among caterers that fit the event; Business also includes the event console for proposals, deposits, invoices and crew. Featured city is an add-on for a labelled top slot in a city. Plans are monthly or yearly with no contract. There is no online checkout yet: claim your listing, request an upgrade, and we switch it on and invoice you. Details on Listing plans.

By email to the address on your listing, with the customer as the reply-to so you can answer directly. Every request also appears in your dashboard. Requests are matched on your service-area cities, guest range and service style, so keep those up to date and you will not be sent events you cannot do.

Complete the listing: a real description, photos, menus, a per-person price range, guest limits and the event types and dietary options you actually cover. Claimed and verified listings score higher, and so do listings with genuine reviews; you can share your review link with past clients. Reviews are confirmed by email and checked before they appear.

Yes. If you cancel, your listing goes back to the free plan rather than disappearing.